Gāhaḍavāla Dynasty,Gahadavala dynastyone of the many ruling families of North north India on the eve of the Muslim conquests in the 12th–13th century. Its history, ranging between the second half of the 11th century and the mid-13th century, illustrates all the features of early medieval North north Indian polity—dynastic hostilities and alliances, feudal - state structure, absolute dependence on Brahminical Brahmanical social ideology, and vulnerability in the face of external aggressions.

The family, perhaps originating in the Vārānasi-Ayodhyā area area of Benares (Varanasi) and Oudh (Ayodhya) in Uttar Pradesh, later came to be associated with KanaujKannauj, which had become one of the most crucial political centres in India. The majority of the Gāhaḍavāla Gahadavala epigraphic records were discovered in Uttar Pradesh and issued from VārānasiVaranasi. The dynastic power became gradually consolidated in the period of the first three rulers: Yaśovi-GrahaYashovigraha, MahīcandraMahichandra, and Candradeva Chandradeva (c. 1089–1103). By the period of CandradevaChandradeva, the Gāhaḍavālas Gahadavalas had taken control of VārānasiVaranasi, AyodhyāAyodhya, KanaujKannauj, and Indrasthānīyaka Indrasthaniyaka (modern Delhi) and had expanded all over throughout Uttar Pradesh—sometimes at the expense of such powers as the Kalacuri dynasty. The Gāhaḍavālas Gahadavalas sought to ward off the growing menace of Muslim incursions by expedient alliances and the payment of tributes, at least until the period of Candradeva’s Chandradeva’s son Madanapala (reigned c. 1104–13), who was, in all probability, the Kanauj Kannauj king imprisoned and later released during the period of Ghaznavid Sultan Masʿūd III. Despite the regularity of Muslim attacks, which were at least temporarily repulsed by Govindacandra Govindachandra (reigned c. 1113–15), the Gāhaḍavālas Gahadavalas endeavoured to spread eastward; Govindacandra Govindachandra expanded to the Patna and Monghyr districts Munger areas in BihārBihar, and in 1168–69 southwestern Bihār Bihar was being ruled by a feudatory of his son Vijayacandra Vijayachandra (reigned c. 1155–69). Conventional accounts seem to suggest that Govindacandra Govindachandra had varied relations with an impressive number of Indian and non-Indian countries. Despite obvious exaggeration, hostilities with such powers as the PālasPalas, Senas, and the Kalacuris appear to be substantially factual.

The weakness of the internal structure of the Gāhaḍavāla Gahadavala kingdom was finally exposed late in the 12th century during the invasions of Muʿizz al-ud-Dīn Muḥammad ibn Sām of Ghūr. Jayacandra Jayachandra (reigned c. 1170–94), who held Uttar Pradesh and parts of BihārBihar, had, according to bardic accounts, bitter enmity with the Cāhamānas of RājasthānChauhans (Chahamanas) of Rajasthan. He lost the battle and his life at Chandāwar Chandawar (Etāwah districtEtawah, Uttar Pradesh) in an encounter with Muḥammad of Ghūr. Although the Gāhaḍavālas Gahadavalas lingered in Hariścandra’s Harishchandra’s reign (c. 1194–?) in Kanaujthe Kannauj, Jaunpur, and Mirzāpur districts Mirzapur regions until 1197, the buildup of Muslim expansion in the areas was steady through the early 13th century. Gāhaḍavāla Gahadavala royalty had an obscure death, sometime before the middle of the 13th century, at Nāgod Nagod in central India, to which ĀḍakkamallaAdakkamalla, the last known GāhaḍavālaGahadavala, had escaped.